


What Is This Thing?

by MasterSatanOverlord



Series: Technology Find AU [2]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: M/M, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-12-17 16:52:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11855766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MasterSatanOverlord/pseuds/MasterSatanOverlord
Summary: Alright, so here's the story of how Levi and Armin ended up in a relationship, as well as how the correspondence between the three of them and the alternate universe group happened. THIS WILL CONTAIN YAOI AS WELL AS OCS! Just so you know. Full summary inside! You don't have to read Reactions to understand this, but there will be cross references! Rating may change later on as well.





	1. The Communication Device

Clutching the strange object to my chest, I hurry to Eren, knowing he'll be in bed by now, I rush into the room. Bursting in, I can barely contain my excitement as he looks up, questioning and confused, from the pajama pants he had been pulling on as I intruded his privacy without so much as a knock. "Eren! Oh gosh, you won't believe what I've found!" I exclaim joyously as I flop down onto his bed, setting my new found treasure down gently, he simply rolls his eyes probably thinking it's another book on some 'boring' subject, I lower my voice exponentially, leaning toward him a bit. "I think it's from outside the walls." I see Eren's curiosity and enthusiasm peak, lighting up his face completely as he struggles to hastily finish with his pants before sitting beside me.

"What is it?" His eyes now sparkling, he seemed impossibly more boyish, childlike, in his anticipation. I begin to prod at whatever it is I've found and shrug, I hadn't quite thought of that. What was it? It was slim, as thick as my wrist, and rectangular, a stark white in color, a long black cord attached to the side had come off earlier and I had it in tow as well, I was pretty sure it was supposed to do that. But what purpose did it serve?

"I'm not really sure. I haven't seen anything like this, so I assumed…" I see that it has something like hinges on one of the longer sides, so I tug gently on the other edge and the top half glides easily upward and a blue light is emitted through a square piece. There were little icons on top of the image, as well as a small triangle with a blunt ended tail. There are many buttons with numbers and letters, the whole alphabet, as well as one long, blank key. Eren moves to tap on a button, but I stop him. "We don't know what this is Eren, pressing that can do anything. We should turn this over to Captain Levi, at least to have him look it over. It would probably be a good idea for him to know anyway…" I trail off as my oldest friend nods, a grimace on his face, drowning away the happiness previously displayed in its place. "What's that face for? The captain will know what to do."

"I know. I just…" He sighs, scratching the back of his head and seemingly unable to finish his sentence; to say I was shocked would be an understatement.

"Eren. You don't have to go with me. You weren't even there when I found it. You have no additional information to give." He nods but doesn't seem happy about it. "Well, why don't you get to sleep? I'm going to see if Captain Levi is available, or even awake." I gather up my findings and carry them up the stairs to Lance Corporal Levi's office. Shifting them to one arm carefully, I knock briskly then wait for him to answer. It takes only a moment for the heavy door to swing open and I salute, this man may be shorter than even me, but he deserves the utmost respect. He was still outfitted in all his gear and his deep green cloak with the Wings of Freedom on his back. "Lance Corporal Levi, Sir! Permission to speak to you privately, Sir?" My voice might have come out as a squeak, but was determined nonetheless. Yes, I was nervous, but who wouldn't be in this man's presence? His eyes drag over my face and down my body, pausing at the unknown object in my free arm, his usually apathetic eyes lighting with a question, right arm still curled up on my chest in salute. He nods and waves me into the extraordinarily clean office before sitting at his desk and gesturing for me to take one of the two empty chairs across from him.

Taking up his offer, who was I to refuse him, I gingerly set the objects onto the almost empty desktop before sinking into a rather comfortable chair. He jerks his chin towards the opening contraption and taps on the lid. "Arlert, what's this?" He tries to remain blasé, but I can hear his curiosity.

"I'm not quite sure, Sir. I found it just a bit ago on my way to the showers Sir." He nods and trails a fingertip across the smooth top. I reach forward and pull it open to reveal the screen and keys before turning it towards him. "I haven't seen anything like this Sir. I think… I think it might be from outside the walls." He nods but remains silent, he slides a finger across the blank canvas a bit below the large blank key and his eyes widen fractionally.

"Arlert, did you know of this?" He turns the apparatus towards me and moves his finger along the empty white space again and I see what he means the little triangular image moves, trailing along in the same way the captain's finger moves. I shake my head, amazed and astonished by the new information. I reach forward and place my finger to the tracking pad and move my finger around, while hovering above one of the icons, a small blue circle surrounded by three segments, colored red, yellow, and green, forming another circle, my finger pressed a button right below the white square and the screen changed. It was white, with the same little emblem in the top left corner, there were some words, but that wasn't concerning to me as a noise suddenly erupted from the device.

Captain Levi and I both jump in surprise, looking at each other, I look back down at the device after we break eye contact, my cheeks feel warm but I set about trying to turn off the noise. I move the indicator around and I realize the red and green rectangles on the small, blue, square back splash were buttons. I click on the green button reading, 'Accept Call'. I wasn't exactly sure what that meant, but I figured it would shut off the unbearably annoying ringing. The blue square fills with another rectangle, this one featured three people I had never seen before and a light mint green wall. We could hear the chatter of people talking, and I speak before Captain Levi can. "Captain, if I may…" At his nod of acknowledgment, I continue. "I believe this is a communication device of some sort, clearly we are able to speak and see people who live a distance away, perhaps we can ask them about this strange device..?" He looks thoughtful for a moment before agreeing.

"Good idea Arlert." He directs his attention to the three on the screen, two females, one raven haired, one with brown hair that held a pinkish red tint, and a brunet male, who were now staring at us with a mix of disbelief, amazement, and respect. "Alright, time to answer some questions brats. What the fuck is this shitty device?" There's a stunned silence before an eruption from the group of teenagers.

"OMIGOSHYOURCOSPLAYGAMEISSOONPOINT!" Came from the ravenette, I think, her words all meshing together to become one. "YOUR VOICE IS LIKE, FUCKING PERFECT! I NEVER THOUGHT ANYONE ELSE SHOULD ATTEMPT LEVI AFTER MATTHEW MERCER, BUT-" The male squeals out, cutting off in the middle of his sentence to let out a screechy noise that I could never put into words. There's a whole bunch of gibberish thrown in and I had no idea what was happening. Glancing over at Captain Levi, he was clearly out of his element as well.

"ALRIGHT SHITTY BRATS, SHUT YOUR TRAPS AND ANSWER MY DAMNED QUESTION!" Levi yells over all three of them and the male could be seen elbowing the females, hushing them as well. With a crooked smile, he answers, saluting.

"Sorry, Captain Levi Sir. That is my sister's laptop. It seems you've found it for us." Though he did answer, his apology sounded a bit sarcastic, Levi chose to ignore it and his hand dropped.

"Alright, now. I don't remember ever seeing any of you. What are your names?" Levi spoke with the complete authority that could probably even break Commander Erwin.

"Right. Well, my name is Kiba. This is my twin, Kam." He gestures over to the girl with black hair who waves a bit shyly, then to the other. "And our slightly younger sister Kai." He then points towards the screen. "And you two are Lance Corporal Levi Ackerman, or perhaps Rivaille, and Armin Arlert, strategic genius. Or at least, that's who you look like. What are your real names?" He cocks his head curiously and I furrow my brows in confusion, glancing back over to Levi like he had any answers in this strange reality we found ourselves in.

"We are exactly who we appear to be." There's a snort from the other end and Levi's glare somehow intensifies.

"Then prove it." There's a challenging edge to the man's voice and I had a strong feeling that this wasn't going to end well.

"Arlert." My attention snaps to the man immediately, right fist connecting to my heart automatically.

"Sir?" I stand at the ready, awaiting orders from the superior soldier.

"Go get Jaeger." His voice oozes control and demand at once, making me even more powerless to refuse my captain.

"Yes, Sir!" I spin and practically sprint out of the office and back down the stairs, running to get Eren, hoping he wasn't yet asleep, he could be a pain awaken sometimes. Slamming into his room, I dash to his bedside and shake him, if he was conscious he would have responded in some way by now. Once he's sitting, I grab his arm and yank him out of bed, toss a questionably clean shirt to him off the floor, then proceed to drag him in the direction of Levi's office, filling him in on the way.

Once I return to the room with Eren in tow, I knock on the door and attempt to tidy the sleepy brunet's hair while awaiting a response, which came in the form of a sharply barked "Get in here." Opening the door slowly, I tug Eren in by his arm just above his elbow, using the hand I wasn't practically restraining, he rubs at his eye as he yawns. I let go of him so he may salute as I do the same, when he doesn't, I step on his foot lightly and shoot a pointed look at his freed arm. He lazily follows my unspoken directions, curling his hand into a loose fist and placing it just above his heart. Sighing, Levi waves us off and I relax my posture just a bit.

"Have you learned anything more about our situation Sir?" I ask, my tone respectful as I inquire about his findings while I was herding Eren along. He shakes his head and appears more frustrated. He picks up what Kiba had called a 'laptop', and walks out of the office, beckoning us to follow. He goes to the stables and saddles up his horse. "Arlert. Go get into your 3D Maneuver Gear." I nod, saluting once more before dashing off again.

In the room shared by Marco, Jean, and I, I pull out all the now tangled straps and belts of the gear and begin the slow process of untangling the leather bands and securing them into place on my chest, back, and legs. Once all the straps are in place, I go to attach the gear itself then return swiftly back to the stables.

Levi had already saddled three horses, the still barely aware Eren was perched precariously atop one, Levi was on his own, and the third was being tethered in place by Levi holding onto the reins. Taking the reins from the man, I hoist myself onto the horse, swinging one leg to get it over her back. Eren and I follow Captain Levi without much complaint, reaching the gate, I look at him confused, unsure as to how we were going to get out of the walls. He tugs on the reins of his horse to stop him and the creature easily listening, heeling to the man in charge.

"Pelletier!" Levi shouts toward the top of the wall, I can see a head out over the side, nod, and then disappear again. The gate is opened and Levi rides through as swiftly as he is able, trailing behind at a slightly less frantic pace. He doesn't speak or even show signs of pausing until he gets us into the forest where his speed finally slows to more of a trot than a gallop. Once we've gotten to what seems like the heart of the forest, he finally stops. Jumping off the horse, he tethers the beast to a tree and I follow suit, then continue to help Eren down as well before tying his horse in place as well.

"Umm… Captain Levi..? With all due respect Sir, why are we out here?" I feel timid and small, afraid he might snap. Taking the laptop from under his arm, he opens it again and the three teens seem to still be there, talking amongst themselves. Holding the communication device out to me, I don't hesitate to take it from his grasp as he turns to Eren.

"Jaeger. You have complete control over yourself now correct?" I was now completely uneasy as that question finished flowing from his lips. I knew exactly what he planned, and it was a huge risk. Not worth it to impress a few teenagers. Eren still looks dazed, but he manages an almost coherent, 'Mostly, Sir.' "Good, now go ahead and bite your tongue. Or actually, your hand. That's your preferred placement is it not?" Eren looked confused, not grasping the situation he was in.

"But Sir! I mean absolutely no disrespect, but is this really a good idea? Is this really worth the huge risk we run just to prove a point to some kids?" Levi scoffs but gives no further response. Biting my lip, I glance over to Eren. This all fell on him now. I see his hand twitch at his side, preparing to bring it to his mouth and I sigh in defeat. Eren might not like the man, but he wouldn't resist his orders either, he held too much respect for Levi to do that. Of course, I respected him as well, perhaps even more, I couldn't help but question some of his plans. He had a bit of an unorthodox way of going about things, resulting in violence whenever possible and this was no exception.

Eren's hand makes it to his mouth and he bites down, I can see a rivulet of blood drip from the wound and I make sure to turn the laptop so that the teenagers could see, their attention had been brought back to us, I assume from my protest to Levi's strategy. On the screen, I could see the small square where it showed our side and I angle it so that they can see the body of the Rogue Titan forming around Eren. Once the new form is completely materialized, there's a huge yawn from the creature and he plops onto the ground, sitting with his legs crossed. There are gasps and even a scream from the teens, and I think one of the females, Kam I think?, fainted but I was too busy standing at attention, ready to propel myself into action if necessary.

I can hear Levi mumble something to Eren, too low for me to understand, before hopping up the titan's body and slashing into the nape of his neck, exposing Eren and yanking him free from the flesh prison. Lifting the teen fairly easily, he carries him back over to the horses which had barely even blinked at the events that just happened. It appeared Eren had passed out, as was the norm after a shift. Turning my attention back to the laptop, I question. "How do you turn this off?" After obtaining the directions, I close down communication site and shut the device. Levi places Eren across the back of his horse, securing him so he doesn't fall, frees the horses, swings onto his own steed, and gripping the reins to both his means of transportation and Eren's, he pauses, waiting for me to get situated. It didn't take long and soon we were back at the wall with Levi yelling for Pelletier again.

As we made our way back to the stables, I couldn't help but ask. "Sir… Pardon me for asking, but exactly what purpose did this serve?" I look over and up to him, with his steed sitting a bit higher up than my mare, my eyes probably begging for the relief of an answer. Glancing down at me shortly before returning his eyes to the dirt path, he remains silent and I take that as my answer.

As we reach the stalls, Levi speaks. "Would they have accepted any other proof?" This confused me a bit before I realized he had responded to my inquiry. Then I think about it. Actually think about it. Would they have? I suppose they might have been in as much disbelief as we. A whole other world existing that was never known and suddenly it's knocking on your door step. Of course, they wouldn't believe us. Things could easily be faked, but a man suddenly changing into a fifteen meter beast of a creature was kind of irrefutable, especially on the spot. I sigh as I begin stripping the mare of all the riding gear I realize the captain's gray gaze is still on me, waiting for an answer.

"I don't think they would have Sir. Sometimes reality is a hard pill to swallow and all you need is some water. I guess Eren just acted as that much-needed swig of water tonight…" He nods, seemingly to both agree and to give reassurance he was indeed listening. He seemed thoughtful, looking forever annoyed and angry, but thoughtful as well. Once done with my own horse, I begin to help Levi with Eren's, he had already moved the now human teenager to a haystack and was just commencing the untying of all the riding equipment.

"Finish with this then return to my office Arlert," I respond accordingly as he lifts Eren and begins the walk out of the stables. It doesn't take me long to finish and once I do, I scoop up the laptop, make sure everything is in its place, then head for my destination, almost scared to come face to face with the captain again. Taking in a deep breath, I let it out again before knocking on the door.


	2. The Deal

I knock softly, hesitantly Levi's reply was near instantaneous. "It's open Arlert." As I'm nudging the door open, he's already gesturing for me to take a seat. I sit in the same chair as I had earlier, placing the laptop down on the oak desk as I had previously and await directions. "Armin. While you were in the midst of retrieving Jaeger I spoke with the kids. We came up with a bargain." I can feel my face grow warm at his use of my given name rather than my surname. He continues without a thought, as though he didn't realize he had slipped. "They teach us about the world they live in if we respond to some footage they send to us. It seems that where they are there is a series of books that covers the happenings of this world." I grow uncomfortable with this description, but figure it truly is a good idea, if I'm uneasy doesn't matter. "Armin, is this alright with you?" His voice is soft, not as harsh as is usual for him and I look up to meet his eyes. Those gray orbs seemed very emotional for someone as stone-faced as Levi like that was the only way he conveyed emotion.

"Even if it wasn't, would I have much of a choice Captain? The decision falls on your shoulders. I might feel a bit uneasy, but I think that's more due to the fact there are other worlds out there. Other realities. If a piece of their technology was somehow transported here, that means there's a portal of some sort, allowing objects to pass between two worlds. There's a possibility that living beings can pass through these as well. An unsuspecting civilian can wander their way into our world." I honestly didn't know how to react to this, how to feel about it. This is a huge development to both worlds. "Sir, do you plan on discussing this with Commander Erwin and Squad Leader Hanji?" I believe this is definitely something to be brought up to the higher ranks.

"I think it would be easier if they knew, we can then begin to discuss a plan of action." We give a mutual nod of understanding before he continues. "Armin, go get some rest. We both need it. We'll speak with Erwin and Hanji in the morning." I easily agree, fatigue suddenly hitting me as I stand. I decide the laptop is safer in the hands of Levi, so I leave it on his desk as I salute, a bit clumsily, and walk out. Going to the barracks, I begin pulling at the belts holding on my 3DMG before I even make it to my shared room. Pushing open the door, I free as I see both Jean and Marco sitting up, looking at the door expectantly, a small, shy smile on Marco's face, a smirk on Jean's. Uneasily, I slide into the room, shutting the door as I pull the belts the remainder of the way off before tugging at the buttons on my shirt. When neither of them speaks, but their gazes remain fixed on me, I grow perturbed.

"What?" Jean's shit-eating grin widens and Marco fidgets almost delicately before nudging Jean in the stomach with his elbow. I turn my gaze to Jean, making my eyes wide and pleading as they meet his and the way his face contorts to something akin to guilt, I can tell he won't be able to resist. His face takes on a slight pink tinge, his mouth flops open a bit and he seems at a loss for words, so I prod him on gently.

"Jean?" I implore him after I pull off my shirt, holding it against my chest as I stick my lower lip out a bit more. I watch as Jean's amber eyes follow the movement before they meet my own again, I can hear him swallow, the bobbing of his Adam's apple practically audible. He opens his mouth and stutters out an answer, but his words are imperceptible. I tilt my head questioningly, eyes pleading with him as I move closer, from the corner of my eye I see Marco shift around uncomfortably with a look of jealousy slowly creeping over his features. I try to convey to him that I have absolutely no interest in his would-be boyfriend without giving up my ruse to Jean. This time I can hear as he stumbles over words, almost unintelligibly.

"I uh… We were j-just w-ondering if… uuuhm… If y-you were uhh… " His face becomes substantially redder at his words. "A-are you s-seeing someo-one? N-not-! N-not th-that it's a-any of o-our b-busin-ness! I-I was j-just… I-I m-mean! W-we w-were c-concerned f-for you." I bite my lip to stifle the laughter bubbling up in my chest, ready to erupt, it's mostly successful, except for a couple giggles I can't hold back. After that, it goes downhill. I drop my shirt in favor of clutching my sides as I explode in a fit of amusement, after a moment I hear Marco's snickers join mine as Jean looks confused and somehow more embarrassed than he was before.

There's a pounding knock on the door and Marco quickly composes himself to answer as my guffawing continues, rolling on the floor, I can't focus on whoever it is trying to interrupt my giggle fit and it becomes difficult to breathe. I realize I'm laughing way harder than necessary for the events that had just transpired, but oh gosh, it was hilarious! I haven't laughed so hard in what felt like decades. A booted foot slams down next to my face, missing me by centimeters, and I'm suddenly no longer drunk off of delight, I look up, eyes traveling the distance of the leg, up the man's torso to his face. I scramble up as quickly as possible and salute. "Captain Levi, Sir!" I say, as much a greeting as an apology, I feel my face heat up in embarrassment as he looks at me, emotionless.

"Armin. Learn to control yourself. You're going to wake up every person within Wall Rose." His gray eyes hinted at something close to amusement, but it was so small, I was probably imagining it.

"Yes, Sir!" He huffs then turns, exiting the room again, slamming the door behind him as he departs. And he was saying I was going to wake everyone. I shrug off my pants, quickly returning to undressing before pulling on my sleepwear. I can hear Jean muttering behind me, something about what was so funny. I climb into my bunk and pull the blankets over me. "Armin..?" I sigh and roll over to look at the man with two-tone hair and a long face.

"Yes, Jean?"

"Was…" His face is flushed a pretty shade of pink as he averts his eyes and rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. "Did I really look that stupid?" He looks back up at my eyes and I'm taken a bit aback at the sheepish look in his amber depths.

"No. It's not that Jean. You just looked so cute! I couldn't help it." His flush becomes deeper, closer to red than pink at this point. "And no. Jean, I'm not in any relationship." I smile gently at the man, knowing he needs kindness after the trauma he more than likely just experienced. He seems to grow a bit more confident and looks about ready to ask something. When he doesn't say anything for a while, I cock my head to the side. "Jean..?"

"H-hey, Armin?" He looks bashful again. Damn his mood swings, giving me whiplash. I look up at him patiently. "Would you uhh… Would you consider maybe hanging out with me at lunch tomorrow?" He rushes the end of the question, but I can understand and am even a bit confused.

"M-me?" I point at my chest as if to make sure he's not confused. He nods, a single quick jerk of his head, eyes no longer on mine, all his confidence seemingly gone. "W-well actually, I'm a bit busy with Captain Levi tomorrow. But ummm…" I flounder, trying to figure something out as his face falls. "Maybe you can hang out with Marco instead. Earlier today, he was telling me about something I think you'd find really interesting! He could explain at lunch!" I throw, apologizing mentally for putting Marco on the spot, but the way the freckled brunet lit up, I doubt he cared much at the moment. Jean looks over to his best friend and sighs biting his lip as he nods sullenly. He relocates to his bunk and I roll back onto my side, happy to have redirected that. I liked Jean, but I didn't like Jean.

After my eyes slip shut, it feels like only a few moments later that I'm waking up again, though I feel fairly well rested. I quickly dress and make my way to the Mess Hall, I get into line behind Sasha, the only reason she woke up early was because the food is better than later. I sit at my usual table as Eren comes in, dragged along by Mikasa and complaining loudly. Behind them are a groggy looking Jean and perky Marco. The normalcy of this situation almost makes me forget my findings of the day before. Soon after our breakfast full of the usual banter and laughter, I sense a presence behind me an instant before the back of my collar is grabbed, tethering me in place so that I may not walk alongside my friends any longer.

"Armin. Did you forget our discussion?" I stop my initial and curl a fist to my chest, saluting my superior officer.

"No Sir!" I feel the grip lessen as Levi lets go and moves to my side. Though he loses his hold on the back of my uniform, he grips my arm in a vice-like grasp and pulls me backward, away from the training field and towards his office instead.

"Well then, let's go brat." I turn myself to be able to walk on my own, slightly behind him as I trail along after him. The short walk seems to take hours in the pregnant silence, but we eventually make our way to Commander Erwin's office. Levi doesn't bother knocking, he throws open the door and walks right in, I follow timidly after. Hanji and Commander Erwin were already sitting in the office, seemingly debating what it was Levi wanted to discuss with them. Once the door slammed open, they pause to glance over, upon setting eyes on Levi, they seem to relax a bit, but seeing me behind the shorter man had the Commander building his walls up again.

"Levi..?" Commander Erwin's voice is light, his eyes trained on me pointedly. 'Who is this?' His tone said, though his eyes showed a light amusement. I feel my cheeks go pink, feeling awkward and out of place in this room of superior officers. It takes Hanji a moment, but her eyes light on me after following the Commander's and she brightens up, jumping out of her seat and crushing me against her chest.

"Oh gosh! You're so cute! What's your name sweetie?" I'm unsure of how to speak and unable to breathe, so I remain silent and look to Levi for help. His face is void of sympathy and amusement. I gasp, trying to get precious oxygen into my lungs and the woman seems to take the hint, letting go of all of me except my arms. Gulping down the air as much as I can, Levi takes care of introductions as I attempt to breathe normally again.

"This is Cadet Armin Arlert, he's a strategic genius as well as found something of interest." My face goes a deeper shade of red at this praise from Levi, he's usually spewing nothing but insults. "Armin. This is Commander Erwin, though I'm sure you know that." He gestures toward the Commander then towards Hanji. "And they are Hanji. Insanity was bred from them, you may ignore anything that comes from their mouth." Hanji pouts a bit, and I take note of the use of the pronoun. His steely gaze is back on me. "Go get your device. My office is unlocked."

"Yes, Sir!" I nod, salute, then walk quickly out of the room, trying to keep my pace as hasty as possible. Pushing open the door to Levi's office, I feel like I'm intruding though he had given me permission to be in here. Quickly grabbing the laptop from Levi's desk, I hasten back to Commander Erwin's office. I knock on the door, always timid, and await a response.

The door is pulled open by Hanji and I enter, carefully placing the technology down on the large mahogany desk. The scientist and commander both look baffled and cautious, whereas Levi goes straight to it, pulling it open and turning it on.


	3. What IS This?

Commander Erwin and Hanji's initial reaction to the new technology was much the same as Eren, Levi, and mine. Shock. Awe. Confusion. I allow Levi to do any sort of explanation necessary, but there does come a point where I was dragged into it.

"So Armin! Where exactly did you find this? You said on your way to the showers?" Hanji asks, there is excitement in their eyes, though not quite to the extent as when doing any sort of experiment or project with the Titans.

I straighten my posture further. "Yes! On my way to the showers from the barracks, in the corridor, there is a small niche in the wall. There was a glint that caught my eye. And that glint was the light catching on the surface." Hanji nods and turns back to the others, the conversation continues on for a bit, though I'm not explicitly included again. Just as I begin to wonder how much longer this would take and why I was included in the meeting anyway. Erwin sighs and decides to stop the discussion to dismiss Hanji and me from the room.

"Thank you Arlert for bringing this to our attention, though we know next to nothing about this technology you will be included in any further meetings or you will be informed of any update from now on." I nod, salute, and leave the room as he gestures for me to do so. Shutting the door behind me, I sigh, sagging against the wall a bit.

I make my way back to the training field only to realize it was already time for lunch. Entering the dining hall, I gather some bits of the remainder of rations, what Sasha hasn't eaten, and sit beside Eren with a sigh. It was nice to know that he would save a spot for me to sit, even if he didn't know whether I would be there or not.

"Soooo, big meeting with the Captain huh?" Eren asks, wiggling his eyebrows. I can tell he's attempting to be friendly but I can still see a dislike gleaming in his eyes. I don't dignify him with an answer, I only roll my eyes and look around at the new seating arrangement. Sasha was still beside Connie, but they were now seated between Mikasa and Ymir. Ymir, mysterious woman that she is, is next to Krista. A bit further down the table sit Marco and Jean, caught up in a seemingly interesting conversation. Marco is enraptured as Jean is telling some sort of story, though that boy would probably listen just as intently had he just repeated the word 'blah' over and over. Despite that, I can't help but grin a bit as I see that. It brings out a little bit of a twinge in my chest though, I wish I had something like that… I sigh and go through the rest of my day as I would normally.

I still have the laptop in my possession that night, so I take the liberty of once more clicking on the circular icon that pulled up the blank page. I see a little line blinking, so I push some of the buttons depicting letters. They appear behind the line as it moves further along the box that it's housed in. I punch in the letters of my name, typing in "Armin Arlert". This brings up a line of images, depicting what I could only assume were supposed to be me, as well as many words, some blue, some green, some black. I push on the first set of green words, doing nothing. I furrow my brows, wiggling my finger a bit on the sensor pad, moving my finger up, the small arrow turns into a depiction of a pointing hand. I try clicking the button once more. This time my efforts lead the screen to change from mostly white to black. My name is near the top of the page, but I don't care about that. I absorb as much of the visual as I can before moving on to the many words. I read the entire article speaking about my life.

Before the night is over, I've managed to read many more of these about my comrades as well as finding this 'Attack on Titan' in a moving image, with sound. I was shocked and determined to show Levi these findings tomorrow. I sat through around fifteen of these when the door is slammed open and Levi is yelling at us to 'get our asses up'. I sigh as I close the laptop and slide out of my bed and begin to gather my things to get myself dressed and ready for the day as Levi kicks Jean's head trying to awaken him. I thought Eren would enjoy that gesture. And so I head to the dining hall to get some food before training begins. As I'm about to sit, however, I hear my name called out in a deep voice.

"Arlert! Get over here." Surprised, I turn my head to see Levi waiting on me.

"Yes, sir?" I ask as I'm close enough to not shout. He simply gestures for me to follow and I do so, setting my food down on the nearest table as it becomes evident he was heading to the exit of the eating hall. I could hear a few hushed whispers of my name, possibly wondering what it was I had done. I was wondering the same. Once out of the dining room, he finally breaks his silence.

"Have you found any new information? I noticed you were tinkering with this new technology."

"Oh! Yes, sir, I'm sorry for not mentioning it before now, I have found the reason those teenagers seemed to not take our word for who we are, why they were doubtful. I could show you if you are able now..?" I propose, in case it was a fleeting interest that had caused to call me out. He nods and I suddenly realize we are headed toward the room currently housing the laptop.

As I walk into the room and open the technology once more, I catch Levi's brief reaction to the room in the form of a slightly curled upper lip. I gesture him over to my tidier section of the and beckon him to sit on the bed I had made minutes before. I turn the screen displaying information on him toward him. "This holds all the information you could want about yourself, or at least I would assume so. There's something like this for everyone and mine was spot on." He moves through the information presented to him with a mix of emotion on his face and I can't help but marvel at that. "I didn't look through it, so don't worry." He gives a curt nod and looks up at me.

"So this is much more than a simple communication device, this could be used as a book or a tool for research." I nod eagerly.

"Yes! This is so much more than anything we have! We must find a way to contact those teenagers once more to find even more information on this device's limitations and possibilities!"

"Yes, good work Armin." As I grin, he begins to walk out of the room, the laptop still in his hands. "Oh, yeah. Go on and eat. After that, report back here and get some rest, alright? I doubt you got much last night." With that, he walks out and leaves me to do as I please. After a moment, I do exactly that.


	4. Sleep

Once I finish eating I stand and brush off my friends as I return to the Captain's office, knocking on the door once I arrive. "Come on in." He calls out, the door muffling him a bit. I do as he says, closing the door again.

"You asked me to come back when I finished eating..?" I ask, sitting when he gestures me to do so, his eyes looking up from the screen of the computer and settling on me. His gaze was intense, but he leans back in his chair, closing the lid of the laptop, looking infinitely more relaxed than I think I had ever seen him.

"How are you doing Armin?" I'm taken aback slightly at his question. His voice and gaze were both soft, his eyes showing a bit of concern. Where had this come from?

"I suppose I'm doing well sir," I say, respectfully answering his question but not understanding the sentiment behind it.

Levi brings a hand up to his chin, rubbing it as though in thought. "You've seemed tired these last few weeks. You need to allow yourself to rest. We're in a shitty situation, sure, but it's not going to get better if you don't sleep." He had stood and made his way around the desk to stand in front of me before sliding himself up to sit on the wooden surface. He reaches out a hand and places it on my cheek.

My face burns brightly as I quickly avert my eyes, looking down as his hand pulls back again. "I'm sorry sir, I'll… I'll go do that now." I can see his smile as I say so and holds out his hand to the door.

"You do that." I get up from the chair, turning to leave the office, but pausing as he speaks again, a bit softer. "Sleep well Armin." The red on my cheeks probably only brightens as I mumble out a thanks and leave the room, shutting the door firmly behind me before heading to my shared room.

I remove my uniform, tugging on the same clothes I had worn the night before, before flopping myself onto my bed with a quiet groan. I situate myself on the bed and wrap blankets around myself as I begin to drift off to sleep.

My dreams were full of soft, gentle touches and sweet kisses, though I couldn't see the face of the person sharing in these intimate moments, I could guess. I woke with a start, gasping. I can hear Marco giggling as Jean tells him one of his stories and I roll over in my bed to look at them.

"How late is it..?" I ask, my voice a bit croaky with sleep as I rub at my eyes. Marco jerks up, looking at me as I speak.

"Sorry, did we wake you up?" When I shake my head, he smiles again. "Good. You missed dinner, you must have been really tired." I nod, keeping up the silent communication as I sit up and stretch. "The captain said to tell you that he wanted you in his office before you went to eat."

"Okay..." I say laying myself back down. I was still ridiculously exhausted.

"Hey, Armin..?" Marco asks quietly, hesitantly.

"Yah Marco..?" I crack open an eye to look at the freckled teen again.

"What's going on? You've been meeting with Captain Levi a lot..." I wasn't sure how to explain what was going on. I hadn't been given permission to talk about this new technology or the possible connection between worlds. But I also wasn't told I couldn't talk about it.

"I… I'm sorry Marco, I don't think I can talk about it. I don't even know what's going on." The brunet bites his lip and nods before climbing off of Jean's bed.

"That's alright. Well, we should probably get some sleep, Jean." They get ready for bed in relative silence and I manage to slip once more into sleep.

I don't dream that time, just blackness.

I wake up just as the sun is peeking above the horizon and I get up to shower, despite knowing that it was unlikely anyone else was up. I pull on my uniform and even strap on the leather pieces of the 3DMG, though not attaching the swords or anything. When Jean and Marco begin to stir, I leave the room once more, heading to the captain's office again.


	5. Mikasa's Interrogation

"Captain Levi?" I call out as I knock lightly on the door to his office with my left hand. I knew he would be awake, more often than not he barely sleeps. Though I hadn't even thought of it the day before because I was so exhausted, he didn't really have much room to talk when it came to sleep deprivation, he was constantly in a worse state than I was. The door swings open and I salute, though he waves it away immediately and gestures for me to enter the room and take a seat. "I apologize for not coming sooner."

"It's not a problem Arlert. Don't worry about those formalities, we'll be spending too much time together in the foreseeable future. It will just be a nuisance." He says, his voice deep and a bit scratchy, presumably from sleep.

"I'm sorry sir, did I wake you?" I ask, tugging at one of the straps of my uniform. My eyes move up to meet his and it's clear that he's exhausted, that he hasn't had a good enough night's sleep in a long while.

"I'm fine Arlert." He replies, waving me off again and I furrow my brows without much thought.

"You look exhausted sir." I push a bit, knowing he was likely to snap at a moment's notice as I gesture to the dark circles under his eyes, looking much larger and more shadowed than usual. "You need more rest than you give yourself." My voice is quiet and my fingers almost brush across his pale cheek before I pull back, my own cheeks flushing slightly as I realize what I had done. "Sorry… You asked me to come by..?"

Levi blinks and takes a step back, turning to step across his office and seat himself in the chair behind his desk. I take up his offer to sit in the chair across from him, biting my lower lip and keeping my eyes on the desktop. "Right. Now that you've gotten some rest, I'd like to hear how you would proceed in this situation."

"How I would, sir?" I ask, my eyebrows coming together in confusion. I might be regarded as some sort of strategic genius, but that didn't extend to situations like this, did it? At the captain's nod, I sigh a bit and reach up a hand to tug at my lip, saving it from being pierced by my teeth. "I suppose… We've already made contact with people that seem to know what it is and how it works, I would suggest continuing our correspondence with them. They have prior knowledge of our situation and specifics about us as individuals, or at least they have the ability to gain such information. We can get information from them and find a way to update our own technologies eventually." I say, voice sort of muffled by my hand though still understandable.

"Yes, I guess that's all we can do..." He replies, reaches a hand up to massage his thumb and index finger against his temples. "You go on ahead and get something to eat, you haven't had much these last couple days in ways on nutrition."

"Yes, sir." Taking that as my dismissal, I stand from the chair, ready to salute but freezing as he fixes me with a glare saying that I had better not dare. Stiffening my posture, I turn to leave the room, pausing in the doorway for just a moment before throwing over my shoulder. "You really should get some more rest, sir. You can't perform at your best if you don't maintain your health." I say, taking the last step out of the room and shutting the door behind me. I make my way to the eating area, slowly being filled by the early risers, and get something to eat. I don't pay much attention to what I'm grabbing, I just know that I'm going to fill my stomach, and I go to sit beside Mikasa. She was sitting by herself, most of the other people in the room being the older or more experienced scouts, she didn't have any food in front of her but she looked like she was just barely staying upright. "Mikasa..? Are you alright?"

Her head snaps up, looking about ready to tear off my head as I slide into the spot across from her. Sighing, she slumps down again, burying her face in her hands. "Just exhausted. I couldn't sleep."

"It doesn't seem like anyone can lately… Was there a reason?" Even as I was asking, she shook her head as if she knew what I was going to say, which was possible she did know me well.

"What's been on your mind? You've seemed out of it for the last couple days. I didn't even see you yesterday really."

"I-" I cut myself off, remembering that she didn't know about any of this. "It's nothing. Just something that Captain Levi has me thinking about." Seeing the look on her face at my response I know she's determined to find out and that means she will. I sigh, shaking my head and turning away to watch the doors opening and closing behind everyone entering, and the few that left.


End file.
